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'Willy Wonka' actress Denise Nickerson taken off medication after stroke

Nickerson, 62, played Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 version of 'Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.'
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Denise Nickerson, who portrayed spoiled child Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 film, "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" poses at Jacques Torres Chocolates during an event promoting the 40th anniversary of the popular children's film and the Warner Home Video Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray and DVD launch on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/StarPix, Marion Curtis)

Correction: An earlier version of this story indicated Nickerson had been taken off life support. Her family later clarified that she was never on life support, but that she had been removed from medication and an oxygen pump.

"Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" star Denise Nickerson has been taken off medication and an oxygen pump after suffering a severe stroke, her family says. Nickerson, 62, played Violet Beauregarde in the 1971 version of "Willy Wonka."

Nickerson was taken to the ICU in June 2018 after suffering a severe stroke and entered a rehab facility in 2018. Her son, Josh Nickerson, posted on Facebook Tuesday that she had undergone a major medical emergency, and had suffered seizures. 

Her condition continued to worsen, and her family posted to Facebook Wednesday that they had decided to take her "off all the equipment."

"None of it was helping, but making her worse," they said. 

Her family has started a GoFundMe campaign to support death expenses. 

"We don't know how much time she has. It could be minutes. It could be hours. But no matter what, she's already gone," they said. "We are sitting here with her just trying to keep her comfortable and let her know it's okay."

Nickerson's son announced in March that he was expecting a baby girl with his wife, Jasmine. 

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